Chapter 105
“Ugh! This damn scorching sun.”
Brielle grumbled.
Even though she covered her face with a pointed hat, the sunlight reflected off the ground struck her face mercilessly.
It had been a while since she came outside, and of all days, the sun was blazing hotter than usual.
Everything was heated.
The buildings in the slums, the roads, even the air itself shimmered as if it might melt at any moment.
The slum dwellers, who never came out during the day, had gathered in the shaded alleys to escape the heat.
They fanned themselves constantly to cool down.
Brielle glanced at them before continuing on her way.
Her destination was the Goblin Market.
She had been going there so often while Zeon was away that it now felt as comfortable as home.
“Hm-hm!”
Brielle hummed as she walked.
She was in a good mood.
She had succeeded in her experiment last night.
It wasn’t the mana amplification potion she had been aiming for, but she had created something comparable.
It wasn’t what she intended.
She had stumbled upon it accidentally during the process of making the mana amplification potion.
Though it was a byproduct of chance, its performance wasn’t bad.
No—it was actually quite good.
That was why Brielle was heading to the Goblin Market.
Since she was bringing a valuable result, her steps felt light.
But soon, a voice ruined her mood.
“Hey, you.”
“Pointy hat. Come here for a second.”
Brielle’s expression twisted instantly.
‘Ha! Again.’
That was the kind of place this was.
Whenever a girl walked alone, especially a young one, there would always be leering voices.
The owners of those voices were punks who looked to be in their twenties.
They hid in the shade of an alley, beckoning Brielle over.
A lone girl—especially a young one—was the easiest target.
Their intentions were obvious.
Brielle let out a sigh and walked toward them.
The punks grinned, thinking she was coming over out of fear.
“Heh heh heh!”
“Let’s see your face—take that hat off.”
One of them lifted Brielle’s hat.
Seeing her pale but pretty face, he let out a whistle.
“Whew!”
“She’s pretty. Won’t be boring.”
At that moment, Brielle spoke in a cold voice.
“You’d better take your filthy hands off me.”
The punks looked at her in disbelief.
“What? This little bitch dares to order us around?”
“Fuck! Guess you need a beating to learn your place.”
They raised their fists, about to use violence.
At that moment, Brielle’s eyes gleamed eerily.
“Air Binding!”
The instant she spoke, the surrounding air tightened heavily around the punks.
“Ghk!”
“Urgh!”
Under the immense pressure, they froze, unable to move.
It felt as if a rope had wrapped around their necks, choking them.
Their faces turned pale, their tongues lolling out.
Brielle watched them with an emotionless expression.
Though she had been captured by hunters and dragged here, she was an elf—
And not just any elf, but a High Elf, far more noble than ordinary ones.
Magic that human Awakened could barely perform, she could cast effortlessly.
As she gradually recovered from the aftereffects of the drugs, her former magical abilities were returning.
This level of magic was now as easy as breathing for her.
The punks collapsed to the ground, writhing.
“Ghk…!”
“S-sorry… spare us…”
Despite their desperate pleas, Brielle’s expression did not change.
In the slums, death was ordinary.
Even if they died, no one would care.
Brielle pronounced their sentence.
“Vermin. Just die.”
“H-hey! Calm down.”
At that moment, a voice came from behind her.
When she turned around, she saw a boy with a half-shaved head, flashy earrings, and piercings.
Brielle recognized him immediately.
“Levin!”
“Long time no see, Brielle!”
“You’re not taking their side, are you?”
“No way. I’d never side with trash like them. I’m just saying there’s no need for you to get your hands dirty with their blood.”
“Why?”
“They’re fugitives who committed crimes in another district and ran here. If we turn them in, there’s a bounty. Better to hand them over and take the reward.”
“Really?”
Levin didn’t miss the glint in Brielle’s eyes.
He smirked.
“The bounty’s not huge. Just 500 Sol. Still, it’s easy money.”
“You’ll handle it for me, Levin?”
“Gladly!”
At Levin’s answer, Brielle released her magic.
Thud!
The punks collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.
They had been pushed to the brink of death, and their limbs had no strength left.
Naturally, they didn’t even think of running.
With a gesture from Levin, boys waiting at the alley entrance came and dragged the punks away.
Brielle asked,
“Your subordinates?”
“Friends!”
“Ah!”
“So where are you going in the middle of the day, Brielle?”
“The Goblin Market!”
“That works out. I’m heading there too.”
“Why are you going, Levin?”
“I’m looking for someone.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know. It’s not exact.”
“I see.”
Brielle nodded.
She also knew Levin’s situation.
And who he was looking for.
He was still tracking the murderer.
“Did you find a clue?”
“Some of the items he uses seem to have come from the Goblin Market. So I’m planning to stay there for a while and keep watch.”
“Do you even have permission to enter?”
“That’s why I wanted to go with you. Is that okay?”
“Sure!”
Brielle nodded without hesitation.
The Goblin Market did not open its doors to just anyone.
Only those whose identities had been strictly verified were granted access.
Naturally, Brielle qualified.
And if Brielle vouched for him, Levin could enter as well.
As they walked together, Levin suddenly asked, as if something had just occurred to him,
“What about Zeon?”
“He’s resting at home.”
Since returning from Neo Seoul, Zeon had stayed shut inside, not going anywhere.
“Did he go somewhere? I didn’t see him for a few days.”
“Yeah! He said he had something to take care of.”
“I see.”
Levin didn’t ask any further.
As they chatted and walked, they soon arrived at the Goblin Market.
Thanks to Brielle, Levin was able to enter without any trouble.
Brielle said to him,
“We should split up here. I need to go this way.”
“Thanks for getting me in. Take care of your business.”
“Mm!”
“See you next time.”
Levin waved and disappeared into the crowd.
Brielle watched his back for a moment before turning away.
Her destination was Yoo Sehui’s quarters.
Yoo Sehui greeted Brielle with a smile.
“It’s been a while.”
“It hasn’t been that long. You’re being dramatic.”
Brielle grumbled as she sat down.
“Where’s Zeon?”
“Resting at home.”
“Did he say when he’d stop by the Goblin Market?”
“No.”
“I see.”
She owed Zeon a great deal.
Even if it had been due to Tajik’s pressure, she had still cut off information and pushed Zeon into the dungeon.
She told herself it was to save old man Clexi, but it was still a disgraceful act unbecoming of the head of the Goblin Market.
Because of that, she felt indebted to Zeon.
Yoo Sehui changed the subject.
“So, what brings you to my room? You could just buy what you need from the merchants.”
“This time, I’m here to sell.”
“Sell?”
“I made something.”
Brielle pulled out two small bottles filled with blue liquid from her sleeve.
“What is that?”
“An antidote potion!”
“A potion?”
Yoo Sehui’s eyes widened.
Normally, “potion” referred to liquid medicine.
But in the present age, it carried a special meaning.
It was the result of modern alchemy created by magic-type Awakened.
Some potions could cure diseases, others could restore mana.
Because of them, miracles once thought impossible had become reality.
However, only a very small number of Awakened could create potions—and even they were strictly controlled within Neo Seoul.
They were treated as strategic resources, with imports and exports tightly regulated.
Various potions were distributed among the rulers of Neo Seoul based on interests and deals.
Potions that cured status ailments were especially valuable tools for securing the loyalty of subordinates.
Because of this, obtaining potions on the open market was extremely difficult.
It was even harder in the slums.
The Goblin Market did sell potions, but most were cheap and ineffective.
Truly high-quality potions were hard to find even there.
Yoo Sehui asked, trying to hide her excitement,
“How effective is it?”
“It can detoxify poison up to D-rank monsters.”
“If it’s just that level… it’s a bit weak.”
“Do you really think so?”
Brielle stared straight at her.
Yoo Sehui didn’t miss the contempt in her eyes.
‘This brat…’
Something twisted in her chest.
She felt embarrassed that her true thoughts had been exposed by a mere child.
Most of the monsters hunted by Awakened in the slums were D-rank or lower.
Anything above that was too dangerous for too little gain.
And among those D-rank or lower monsters, many possessed venom.
If not treated in time, it could kill an Awakened almost instantly.
In other words, if Brielle’s antidote potion truly had that level of effectiveness, it would be one of the best items in the slums.
“Alright… you know we’ll need to verify it first, right?”
“That’s why I brought two bottles. Test them. If the results are proven, then we’ll make a deal.”
“Got it. We’ll test it as fairly as possible.”
“If it passes, we’ll sign the contract under Zeon’s name.”
“Not yours?”
Yoo Sehui looked surprised.
She couldn’t understand why such a remarkable product would be registered under Zeon’s name instead of Brielle’s.
“Yeah, under Zeon’s name.”
“Then all the profits from your share will go to him. Are you okay with that?”
“That’s the point.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to repay him, even if just a little.”
“….”
“If it weren’t for him, I’d still be stuck in that Crocodile den making drugs. I hate humans, but he’s the exception.”
To survive, she had made a soul contract.
Unintentionally, she had become bound by it.
She was now in a position where she had no choice but to obey whatever Zeon demanded.
Even if he demanded her body, she couldn’t refuse.
And yet, Zeon had asked nothing of her.
Instead, he let her act freely—and for that, she was grateful.
“If you owe a debt, you repay it. That’s how we do things.”
“You won’t regret it?”
“Never.”
“You’re too serious for a brat… fine. If the results check out, we’ll handle exclusive production. You’ll hand over the recipe, right?”
“If the terms are right…”
“Deal?”
“Deal.”